squab
/ˈskwɑb/noun, verb, adjective, adverb
squab is spelled S-Q-U-A-B: 5 letters. It appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 98,107th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, squab means “A young dove or pigeon” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of squab is squabs.
How many letters and syllables are in squab?
| Letters | 5: S-Q-U-A-B |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 11 million words; the 98,107th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is squab?
Squab appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 98,107th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce squab?
- UK /ˈskwɒb/
- US /ˈskwɑb/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-squab.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with squab?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as squab from its last stressed vowel (/ɑb/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of squab
- squabs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- squabbing participle, present
- squabbed participle, past
- more squab comparative
- most squab superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does squab mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A young dove or pigeon.
- 2
A young chicken.
- 3
A young rook.
- 4
The meat of a young dove or pigeon, typically under four weeks old, used as food.
- 5
A thick cushion, especially a flat one covering the seat of a chair or sofa.
a. 1744, Alexander Pope (imitating Earl of Dorset), Artemisia, 1795, Robert Anderson (editor), A Complete Edition of the Poets of Great Britain, page 86, On her large ſquab you find her ſpread, / Like a fat corpſe upon a bed, / That lies an
- 6
A person of a short, fat figure.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo fall plump; to strike at one dash, or with a heavy stroke.
- 2
To furnish with squabs, or cushions.
- 3
To stuff thickly and sew through, the stitches being concealed by buttons, etc.
adjective
- 1
Fat; thick; plump; bulky.
- 2
Unfledged; unfeathered.
- 3
Clumsy.
- 4
Curt; abrupt.
- 5
Shy; coy.
adverb
- 1
slangWith a heavy fall; plump.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Squab in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pigeonneau, colombeau, colombelle , bébé corneille, bébé freux |
| German | Jungtaube, ungefiederte Jungtaube, Taubenküken, Taubenbaby , Täubchen, Täubchenfleisch |
| Portuguese | borracho , coxim |
| Spanish | pichón, palomino |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does squab come from?
Unknown. Possibly related to dialectal Swedish skvabb (“fatty, flabby”). First attested in the 17th century.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).